Obama Hopes for ‘Concrete Results’ in Russia Talks

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a cabinet meeting in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, September 12, 2013.

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama on Thursday said he was hopeful that talks between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would yield a “concrete result” to help solve a standoff with Syria.

Mr. Obama, speaking at the beginning of a meeting with members of his cabinet, said “obviously we’re missing a few members of our Cabinet here today, in particular John Kerry.”

Mr. Obama said while the world is still focused on Syria, his administration is also focused on domestic concerns such as rebuilding the country’s economy. “It’s still important to recognize that we have a lot of more stuff to do here in this government,” Mr. Obama said. His comments suggest a recognition that the debate over what to do in Syria has sidelined much of his domestic agenda.

“The American people are still interested in making sure that our kids are getting the kind of education they deserve, that we’re putting people back to work; that we are dealing properly with a federal budget,” Mr. Obama said. He said he is going to discuss with his cabinet overhauling the immigration system, the looming budget battles in Congress and implementing the Affordable Care Act.

All of those issues have faced stiff resistance in Congress.

House Republican leaders on Wednesday delayed plans to vote this week on legislation that would fund government operations through mid-December but stop funding of the federal health-care overhaul. The delay came amid a fight among conservatives about how whether to use efforts to fund the government to also strip operating funds from the health law.

The White House has criticized Republicans for continuing to try to defund the Affordable Care Act, saying they shouldn’t be focused on fighting old political battles.

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